For some reason, wrapping just about anything in puff pastry produces festive results worthy of an elegant, well-dressed dinner table. A piece of salmon, an apple, cheese or a tenderloin of beef or pork suddenly become the center of attention. And rightly so. The delicate puff pasty envelops the food in a rich, buttery blanket of goodness that is hard to resist.
My porc en croute is a wonderful dish to cook on weekends or special occasions. You will want to serve it with fresh seasonal vegetables. Wilted spinach would be great and in the springtime, peas or grilled asparagus are the perfect choice. This is definitely a recipe to keep in mind for Easter!
Porc en croute
Serves 4-6
- 600g pork tendorloin
- fleur de sel
- freshly-cracked pepper
- 2 tbsps mild olive oil
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- a 13x 11cm piece of puff pastry
- 4 slices raw ham
- 10 sage leaves
- 1 ½ tbsp grainy mustard
- 1 small egg, whisked, for glazing
Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and brown the meat on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the tenderloin from the pan, place on a plate and immediately sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence on all sides. Leave the meat to cool for at least ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 190 and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the puff pastry on a floured work surface and line the middle with the ham, followed by 5 of the sage leaves. Brush the cooled tenderloin with the mustard on all sides and place on the ham and sage. Place the rest of the sage leaves on top of the meat. Fold the pastry on all sides to form a neat parcel. Flip it over onto the baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with the whisked egg. Using a sharp knife, score the pastry in a criss-cross pattern. Make a few air holes using the tip of your knife. Bake the porc en croute for 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before carving.
